Poll: NJ divided on legalizing pot

Apr. 9, 2014

Written by

Kathleen Hopkins

Asbury Park Press

New Jerseyans are split almost down the middle on the notion of legalizing marijuana, but a bill that would let most adults buy the drug has less support, according to a Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press poll released today.

The poll is the first taken in the Garden State since Sen. Nicholas Scutari last month introduced legislation that would legalize marijuana. It found 48 percent of New Jersey residents believe possession of small amounts of marijuana should be legal, while almost the same amount, or 47 percent, are opposed to legalization.

The results are similar to a national ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted in January, which found 49 percent in favor of legalization and 48 percent opposed.

But only 36 percent of New Jerseyans think the bill introduced by Scutari, which would allow people 21 or older to purchase marijuana for recreational use from state-licensed businesses, is a good idea. Just under half, or 45 percent, think it’s a bad idea, and 18 percent have no opinion on the proposal, according to the poll conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

“Obviously, New Jerseyans are really split on the idea of legalizing marijuana and are unsure about the specifics of the Scutari proposal,” said Patrick Murray, director of the polling institute. Scutari is a Democrat from Union County.

Murray said people have questions about how the proposal would be implemented and what kind of safeguards would be in place.

Although 59 percent of those who took the poll say alcohol use is more dangerous than marijuana, and 58 percent say tobacco is more dangerous, people have reservations about treating pot the same way as booze or cigarettes, according to Murray.

“I think there’s a reaction to, if we’re going to take something that’s been a criminalized drug and legalize it, we need to think more about it before we try it,” he said. “I expect the numbers to be moving a lot in a year or two, as states like Colorado experiment with changes to their marijuana laws.

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“The big takeaway from this is the public is divided, and they’re divided because they’re not sure what to make of it.”

Murray noted the marijuana debate “has been engaged, and neither side has the distinct advantage right now.”

Although there isn’t much support for Scutari’s proposal, “most people actually see alcohol and tobacco use as bigger dangers,” Murray said. “Perhaps some of the opposition may simply be a reaction against legalizing something that has been illicit for so long.”

A matter of time?

Jon-Henry Barr, who is president of the New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutors Association, said the poll results tell him legalization of marijuana in New Jersey will be coming in the future.

“It’s clear that the direction people are going in is for legalization,” said Barr, whose association in February endorsed the idea of legalizing pot. “Twenty to 30 years ago, a minority of people supported legalization. Now, it’s a majority or a very large minority.”

The poll found that the younger people are, the more they tend to favor legalization:

• Adults younger than 35 — 57 percent are in favor of legalization.

• Adults 35 to 54 years old — 45 percent favor it.

• Adults 55 and older — 43 percent favor it.

“As older adults simply die off, the opposition will start to disappear, simply through the course of nature,” Barr predicted. “I have very little doubt it will be legal at some point. I don’t know when.”

Gov. Chris Christie, who is in the first year of his second four-year term, has vowed to veto any bill that would legalize marijuana.

The poll results show opposition to legalization is strongest among Republicans — 61 percent are against it, compared with 45 percent of Democrats and 42 percent of independents. Only 37 percent of Republicans support legalization, while 49 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of independent voters do.

“Republicans are just opposed for a variety of reasons,” Murray said. “Democrats may be worried about drug use and a whole list of crimes that can be associated with drug use. Independents are likely to be white suburbanites, socially liberal, fiscally conservative and not so concerned about the moral issues and the urban violence issues.”

The poll also found sharp differences in opinion based on gender: 56 percent of men are in favor of legalization, while only 39 percent of women support it.

Just over half of New Jerseyans say marijuana is a very or moderately serious problem, and just under half say it is either not too serious or not a problem at all, according to the poll. Democrats are divided on whether marijuana is a problem, independents are less likely to think it’s a serious problem, and Republicans are most likely to consider it a serious problem, according to the poll results.

Of those who were polled, 64 percent said they weren’t influenced by a provision in Scutari’s bill that calls for most of the taxes raised from marijuana sales to be spent on transportation projects. And 36 percent said they have tried marijuana, with a significantly higher percentage of men than women admitting to experimenting with the drug.

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